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Musk threatens to sue anti-defamation group for falling revenue

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer Awards ceremony, in Berlin, on Dec. 1, 2020. Britta Pedersen, Pool/AFP/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/afp/01/22/elon-musk.jpg "/><figcaption>SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer Awards ceremony, in Berlin, on Dec. 1, 2020. <em>Britta Pedersen, Pool/AFP/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>NEW YORK — Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said he is considering suing a leading anti-defamation group, arguing that its accusations of anti-Semitism have led the company to lose revenue.</p><p>Musk late Monday accused the US-based Jewish organization of making unfounded complaints against him and X that have scared away advertisers.</p><p>&quot;To clear our platform&#x27;s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League... oh the irony!&quot; Musk wrote on X on Monday.</p><p>&quot;Based on what we&#x27;ve heard from advertisers, ADL seems to be responsible for most of our revenue loss,&quot; he wrote, adding that the group &quot;would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Advertisers avoid controversy, so all that is needed for ADL to crush our US &amp; European ad revenue is to make unfounded accusations,&quot; he wrote in a long thread that started with a clarification that he favors free speech but is &quot;against anti-Semitism of any kind.&quot;</p><p>The ADL declined to comment on Musk&#x27;s legal threats, but responded to the &quot;BanTheADL&quot; hashtag that has been trending on the website.</p><p>Musk, who bought Twitter last year and rebranded it as X, has come under fire for liking posts with the hashtag.</p><p>&quot;It is profoundly disturbing that Elon Musk spent the weekend engaging with a highly toxic, anti-Semitic campaign on his platform,&quot; ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said in an email to AFP.</p><p>&quot;This behavior is not just alarming nor reckless, it is flat out dangerous and deeply irresponsible.&quot;</p><p>The hateful campaign started after the ADL participated in a civil rights march marking the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King&#x27;s &quot;I have a dream&quot; speech, according to the group.</p><p>The ADL has for years accused the social media site of amplifying anti-Semitic hate speech and recently met with top executives at X.</p><p>In a 2016 report, the group said anti-Semitic attacks against journalists had exploded on Twitter, &quot;thanks to the rhetoric in the 2016 presidential campaign.&quot;</p><p>It accused the social network of failing to control its &quot;trolling problem.&quot;</p><p>Billionaire Musk has also previously been accused of fueling anti-Semitic tropes, including attacks against Jewish philanthropist George Soros.</p><p>According to the ADL and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), problematic and racist speech has sharply risen on X since Musk completed his $44 billion takeover in October.</p><p>Since then, the Tesla boss has fired thousands of the platform&#x27;s employees, cut content moderation and reinstated former president Donald Trump&#x27;s account.</p><p>Last month, Musk sued the CCDH, accusing it of a smear campaign that damaged the social network&#x27;s relationship with advertisers.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/31/23/x-to-offer-video-audio-calls-musk">Social media platform X to offer video, audio calls: Musk</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/07/02/23/twitter-restricts-number-of-posts-users-can-read">In AI tussle, Twitter restricts number of posts users can read</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/30/23/elon-musk-lifts-political-ad-ban-at-rebranded-twitter">Elon Musk lifts political ad ban at rebranded Twitter</a></li></ul><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AMIoSw5qKxI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said he is considering suing a leading anti-defamation group. 